Many will tout these days, particularly since the election of President Obama, that racism is no longer an issue in the country.But as we've seen how the disparate rates of black male prisoners in this country have created slavery by another name, we must also see how certain daily privileges afforded to the majority groups in power in the United States, media portrayals, and the like, are, in fact, racism by another name.

The fact is, even if we have succeeded in quashing the completely irrational fears that led to the formation of hate groups such as the Klu Klux Klan and other groups that sought to torture or kill people based on race, we are still dealing with the socio-economic aftermath of what that way of thinking has done to this country and its diverse body of citizens.

Right here in Minnesota, a recent study from the Wilder Foundation found that 37 percent of people in Dakota, Washington, and Ramsey counties still say they get nervous walking into a room of people from other races, if they are the only one of their own race present. One third of these same folks say they strongly or somewhat agree that they would like to get to know people of other races better, but often feel as if they might be ridiculed or shamed if they say the wrong thing. Combine that with the disheartening statistics on education and housing disparities by race in this state and it’s hard to deny that racism is still an issue that needs much attention.

Who will step up to help bridge the cultural and institutional divide that racial tensions have spawned? How exactly do you confront racism in a way that is both implicating and welcoming? These are all goals of the Facing Race ‘We’re all in this together’ Initiative. Hosts, Michelle Alimoradi and Tom O'Connell will discuss these issues of racism that are subtly embedded in our societal structure today as we talk about their upcoming Facing Race Ambassador Awards ceremony, happening the evening after our broadcast, and what these folks are doing to shed light on the privileges and the fears that continue to perpetuate racism in this country.

CORINTH MATERA- Teacher, South High School, Minneapolis. Corinth was nominated for a Facing Race Ambassador Award for her work in creating an education unit addressing the U.S. Dakota War of 1862. Ms. Matera has been a leader in promoting this education unit, and it has reached over 600 students in the past three years.

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Ed. NOTE: This week, TruthToTell looks at Earth Day as an entrepreneurial and responsible opportunity. Our colleague and engineer, Kel Heyl, himself a green contractor, offered to help assemble this program and offers, too, this reflection on the Day’s creation and this year’s TTT approach to celebrating this now iconic annual reminder of our human responsibility to protect the planet in all ways possible – and, ironically, as businesses new and adapted:

Making Cents of Earth Day

It’s the summer of 1969. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, already considered a champion of the protecting the natural world, had visited an oil spill site in Santa Barbara, California. On his return flight he was reading an article about various “teach-ins” on college campuses dealing with Vietnam, when…“It popped into my head. That’s it! Why not have an environmental teach-in and get everyone involved?”

Senator Nelson returned to Washington and quickly formed a non-profit – Environmental Teach-In, Inc. – recruiting a few Republicans and conservationists to help with the project. On September 20, 1969 he went public with his mission from Seattle:

“I am convinced that the same concern the youth of this nation took in changing this nation’s priorities on the war in Vietnam and on civil rights can be shown for the problems of the environment. Young people can take the leadership away from the indifferent, venal men who are concerned with progress and profit for the sake of progress and profit alone…”

After considering a number of names like Environment Day and Ecology Day, they settled on the appellation, “Earth Day.” Nelson chose the date to maximize participation on college campuses. The week of April 19–25 did not fall during exams or spring break and did not conflict with Easter or Passover. It was late enough to ensure good weather. During the middle of the week there would be more students in class and no competition from other events – so Wednesday, April 22, 1970 was anointed as the target day. When critics later pointed out it was Lenin’s birthday, Nelson replied that it was also the birthday of both St. Francis of Assisi, the nature saint, and his own Aunt Tillie.

The above was excerpted from this article. In September,1995, Sen. Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In keeping with the spirit of the times, much of the work flowing from those first Earth Days were seeking top-down large-scale Federal legislation and regulation.

What makes progressive change so difficult now is that a sizeable percentage of the American people are inserting their heads into deep holes they purchase from entities whose short-term bottom lines are enhanced by maintaining unsustainable patterns of consumption. Just regulating industry will not yield a viable future. Today, we look at small-scale day-to-day successes with special attention directed to increasingly sophisticated tools that allow us to make sustainable decisions and how an NGO is becoming a de facto global standard.

TTT’s ANDY DRISCOLL and MICHELLE ALIMORADI lead our guests through their work on three different points along the sustainability continuum. Each runs a businesses which helps clients make better informed decisions – decisions which make their futures more sustainable without further disrupting the present.

*Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – a point based rating system used to answer the questions: How green is this design or building. It was created by theUnited States Green Building Council.

Many will tout these days, particularly since the election of President Obama, that racism is no longer an issue in the country.But as we've seen how the disparate rates of black male prisoners in this country have created slavery by another name, we must also see how certain daily privileges afforded to the majority groups in power in the United States, media portrayals, and the like, are, in fact, racism by another name.

The fact is, even if we have succeeded in quashing the completely irrational fears that led to the formation of hate groups such as the Klu Klux Klan and other groups that sought to torture or kill people based on race, we are still dealing with the socio-economic aftermath of what that way of thinking has done to this country and its diverse body of citizens.

Right here in Minnesota, a recent study from the Wilder Foundation found that 37 percent of people in Dakota, Washington, and Ramsey counties still say they get nervous walking into a room of people from other races, if they are the only one of their own race present. One third of these same folks say they strongly or somewhat agree that they would like to get to know people of other races better, but often feel as if they might be ridiculed or shamed if they say the wrong thing. Combine that with the disheartening statistics on education and housing disparities by race in this state and it’s hard to deny that racism is still an issue that needs much attention.

Who will step up to help bridge the cultural and institutional divide that racial tensions have spawned? How exactly do you confront racism in a way that is both implicating and welcoming? These are all goals of the Facing Race ‘We’re all in this together’ Initiative. Hosts, Michelle Alimoradi and Tom O'Connell will discuss these issues of racism that are subtly embedded in our societal structure today as we talk about their upcoming Facing Race Ambassador Awards ceremony, happening the evening after our broadcast, and what these folks are doing to shed light on the privileges and the fears that continue to perpetuate racism in this country.

CORINTH MATERA- Teacher, South High School, Minneapolis. Corinth was nominated for a Facing Race Ambassador Award for her work in creating an education unit addressing the U.S. Dakota War of 1862. Ms. Matera has been a leader in promoting this education unit, and it has reached over 600 students in the past three years.

TruthToTell is now seen after the show on Blip.tv and at www.TruthToTell.org/Archives.

HELP US BRING YOU THESE IMPORTANT DISCUSSIONS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST – PLEASE DONATE HERE!

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Before the main topic got underway, MARCY SHAPIRO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of OPEN ACCESS CONNECTIONS (formerly Twin City Community Voicemail) joined us in-studio to talk about her organization's loss of funding at the hands of a single office within the Minnesota Department of Human Services. "Today, 350 agencies across the entire state of Minnesota partner with Open Access Connections to allow nearly 5,000 individuals and families each year to have a safe and secure place to receive messages from employers, landlords, children’s schools, doctors, social service providers, family members and friends." No organization in the state and few across the country offer this unique service. OAC needs your help to donate funds, contact legislators to talk with Governor Dayton and the Commissioner of Human Services to reinstate the funding that has forced the layoffs of the all staff members.

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We’re living through an era where the notion of the common good has been overwhelmed by the idea of individualism; me and mine. This is manifested on many fronts as you well know. One of the most dramatic is this worship of the Constitution as a charter of limited government. We’re also witnessing the denigration of the public sphere and the selling of privatization as the remedy.

Dane Smith’s recent op-edargues that the Federalists sought ratification of the constitution because they believed that a strong national government was necessary to promote the common welfare. Dane's work with Growth&Justice is predicated on the idea and the historic reality that government can and must play a strong role in achieving the public good.

Doug Rossinow will provide an historical perspective on this fundamental debate in America on contrasting ideas about the meaning of freedom. He teaches courses on the New Deal, Civil Rights and Reagan eras (among other things) — eras where these contrasting ideas (and practices) were in sharp conflict. His most recent book is Vision of Progress: The Left-Liberal Tradition in America

How can people be lured out of their self-imposed isolation – either technological or ideological – and see the value of working together toward the common good? How do you engage people, spurring both action on specific issues and reflection on the underlying values those actions represent? ISAIAH’sDoran Schrantz help answer those questions.

We’re living through an era where the notion of the common good has been overwhelmed by the idea of individualism; me and mine. This is manifested on many fronts as you well know. One of the most dramatic is this worship of the Constitution as a charter of limited government. We’re also witnessing the denigration of the public sphere and the selling of privatization as the remedy.

Dane Smith’s recent op-edargues that the Federalists argued for ratification of the constitution because they believed that a strong national government was necessary to promote the common welfare. His work with Growth&Justice is predicated on the idea and the historic reality that government can and must play a strong role in achieving the public good.

Doug Rossinow will provide an historical perspective on this fundamental debate in America on contrasting ideas about the meaning of freedom. He teaches courses on the New Deal, Civil Rights and Reagan eras (among other things) — eras where these contrasting ideas (and practices) were in sharp conflict. His most recent book is Vision of Progress: The Left-Liberal Tradition in America

How can people be lured out of their self-imposed isolation – either technological or ideological – and see the value of working together toward the common good? How do you engage people, spurring both action on specific issues and reflection on the underlying values those actions represent? ISAIAH’sDoran Schrantz will help answer those questions.

First Person Radio's Laura Waterman Wittstock (with Andy Driscoll) talks about philanthropy in the American Indian community. The foundations represented by our guests have committed their resources to fostering Native self-determination, empowerment, education, leadership and community development. We’ll hear from program officers the role they see for Native philanthropy’s role in driving development and public policy through indigenous cultural values, organizing, and sense of community.

Before the main topic got underway, MARCY SHAPIRO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of OPEN ACCESS CONNECTIONS (formerly Twin City Community Voicemail) joined us in-studio to talk about her organization's loss of funding at the hands of a single office within the Minnesota Department of Human Services. "Today, 350 agencies across the entire state of Minnesota partner with Open Access Connections to allow nearly 5,000 individuals and families each year to have a safe and secure place to receive messages from employers, landlords, children’s schools, doctors, social service providers, family members and friends." No organization in the state and few across the country offer this unique service. OAC needs your help to donate funds, contact legislators to talk with Governor Dayton and the Commissioner of Human Services to reinstate the funding that has forced the layoffs of the all staff members.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TruthToTell is now seen after the show on Blip.tv and our own archives.

HELP US BRING YOU THESE IMPORTANT DISCUSSIONS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST – PLEASE DONATE HERE!

We’re living through an era where the notion of the common good has been overwhelmed by the idea of individualism; me and mine. This is manifested on many fronts as you well know. One of the most dramatic is this worship of the Constitution as a charter of limited government. We’re also witnessing the denigration of the public sphere and the selling of privatization as the remedy.

Dane Smith’s recent op-edargues that the Federalists sought ratification of the constitution because they believed that a strong national government was necessary to promote the common welfare. Dane's work with Growth&Justice is predicated on the idea and the historic reality that government can and must play a strong role in achieving the public good.

Doug Rossinow will provide an historical perspective on this fundamental debate in America on contrasting ideas about the meaning of freedom. He teaches courses on the New Deal, Civil Rights and Reagan eras (among other things) — eras where these contrasting ideas (and practices) were in sharp conflict. His most recent book is Vision of Progress: The Left-Liberal Tradition in America

How can people be lured out of their self-imposed isolation – either technological or ideological – and see the value of working together toward the common good? How do you engage people, spurring both action on specific issues and reflection on the underlying values those actions represent? ISAIAH’sDoran Schrantz help answer those questions.